{"id":40336,"date":"2023-01-13T11:58:17","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T16:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40336"},"modified":"2023-01-13T11:58:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T16:58:17","slug":"bmw-ceo-declares-evs-will-be-benchmark-in-charging-range-pricing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=40336","title":{"rendered":"BMW CEO declares its EVs will soon be the ‘benchmark’ in charging, range, and pricing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After previewing some of the technology on its \u201cNeue Klasse\u201d EV platform at CES last week, BMW\u2019s<\/a> CEO Oliver Zipse is not mixing words when speaking about the German automaker\u2019s future in the EV market. Zipse was as bold to say that BMW\u2019s next wave of EVs will be the industry benchmark in range, charging speeds, and pricing. Forgive us if you\u2019ve heard this one before.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been over three years since BMW introduced its first full wave of EVs and ten years since the debut of its first all-electric model, the eminent (for better or worse) i3 hatchback<\/a>. Following early adoption of that ultra-compact vehicle, the German automaker\u2019s quest to go all-electric truly began with the iX3 SUV \u2013 the first of 13 EV expected to arrive by this year.<\/p>\n

At the time, BMW was making some bold claims<\/a> about the iX3 and its overall EV technology, providing more range, power, and cargo space than a majority of the other competitors on the road at the time. <\/p>\n

As we\u2019re sure you\u2019re quite aware, many of those competitors have debuted benchmark technology of their own, and although BMW has continued to roll out more and more EV models like the i4 sedan<\/a> and kidney bean-heavy iX<\/a>, it has not yet dominated the market as planned.<\/p>\n

Amongst German EV automakers alone, BMW\u2019s EV sales were middle of the pack<\/a> in 2022 when compared to VW Group (including Audi) and Mercedes-Benz. Nothing to scoff at, but room for improvement nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Where BMW believes it has improved is in the EV platform technology its next wave of all-electric models will sit atop, which recently made its debut at CES inside the i Vision Dee concept seen below.<\/p>\n

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The i Vision Dee Soncept EV \/ Source: BMW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BMW\u2019s Neue Klasse EV platform sounds promising on paper<\/h2>\n

While this first taste of BMW\u2019s Neue Klasse (\u201cnew class\u201d) architecture exists within a concept EV that will more than likely never see an assembly line, the capabilities it represents are ample enough to leave BMW\u2019s CEO Oliver Zipse feeling rather emboldened. He shared the following sentiment<\/a> with journalists in Las Vegas following the reveal of the i Vision Dee concept:<\/p>\n

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We will be the benchmark in terms of range, charging speed and pricing. Don\u2019t forget pricing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Love the confidence, but as they say, \u201cshow, don\u2019t tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key factor in the success of this new BMW architecture will be its battery technology, an area of the EV industry the German automaker has invested heavily in, in recent years. BMW has already shared that the new platform will include new cylindrical cells\u00a0that are expected to improve energy density, charging speeds, and overall range by 20-30% percent compared to its current battery tech.<\/p>\n

This technology itself appears to be much of the reasoning behind Zipse\u2019s \u201cbenchmark\u201d comments, but the BMW CEO has promised other EV battery projects in the works as well. For instance, we reported in December that BMW had committed $20 million<\/a> to long-time partner Solid Power to license its solid-state battery technology and implement assembly lines at its own production facilities.<\/p>\n

Solid Power\u2019s energy dense cells have not reached scalability or cost parity with lithium-ion cells, but BMW intends to continue development overseas alongside the Colorado-based battery developer<\/a> to help reach that sought after epoch for EV battery breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

If successful, BMW might be able to deliver on Zipse\u2019s promising of setting the standard in key EV specifications for consumers. However, there are plenty of other competitors also invested in Solid Power and other solid-state battery developers<\/a> looking to do it first \u2013 or at the very least, do it better.<\/p>\n

The first BMW EV on the Neue Klasse platform is expected to arrive sometime in 2025 and will be a midsize sedan built in Hungary. You can watch the introduction of the i Vision Dee concept and get a preview of BMW\u2019s upcoming EV tech in the video below:<\/p>\n

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